A bipartisan group of state elected officials has pushed hard for federal legislation that would allow states to require the collection of sales taxes on internet purchases. For now, though, that effort hasn’t overcome congressional gridlock. more

When filmmaker George Lucas sold his company and the Star Wars franchise to Walt Disney Co. this fall, he saved hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal taxes by not waiting until next year when higher tax rates are anticipated. He’s hardly alone. more

Medicaid is still the biggest budget worry for the coming year, according to a new survey of state legislative directors to be released soon. Nowhere is the problem larger than in Texas, which faces a $4.3 billion Medicaid deficit. more

The high court has accepted two gay marriage cases for its spring term. One case, out of New York, concerns whether the federal government can deny benefits to gay  couples married in states that allow same-sex marriage. It will also review California’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Amid the fervor over the fiscal cliff in Washington, there’s one federal program also facing a Dec. 31, 2012 deadline that if allowed to pass could cost unemployed Americans thousands of dollars and deprive states of crucial federal funding that’s helped them weather the worst of the Great Recession. more